U.S. Tribes Participation In Online Gambling

Jason Giles, executive director of the National Indian Gaming Association, confirmed this week that many of the 246 tribes are keen to participate but also make sure not to be left behind in potential legalised US internet gambling.

At the gathering at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood 184 tribes which NIGA represents discussed gambling issues and the impact of online gambling legalisation in this lucrative sector.

"We all realize the future of gambling is the younger generation, with online gambling and mobile apps, and we don't want a state-run system to get out in front of us," Giles said.

Being just a little behind commercial casinos, Indian gambling is a $26.5 billion a year business in the United States. Giles claims that the top 40 tribes make 75 percent of the money, meaning that about 200 tribes are pretty much break-even propositions.

The Association is worried about a proposal that would allow only casinos with 500 or more slot machines to enter the online gambling market, and according to Giles that is only five or six tribes.

Giles suggested a Canada's example where the Kahnawake Mohawk Tribe has been successful in facilitating Internet gambling for international online casino operators: "That's something our bottom three-quarters could do. Others could team up to create a greater mass of players, making for bigger poker tournaments."

It was John Pappas, executive director of the advocacy group the Poker Players Alliance, who supported the whole thing saying that he would welcome the Indians' entry to the market if online poker is legalised.

"Those who are opposed are pretty short-sighted. This is going to happen," Pappas envisages.

Member's Feedback (1)

Well of course it is going to happen. Eventually even the hardest legislators will come to realize that the people want to gamble online and the people will get what they want. I hope the Indian casinos will jump onboard with whatever proposals are made and that they will have great success in the online gambling market. As for restrictions, well, they have lobbyists to help with sorting out the rules and regulations for the casinos in order to provide the best online experience. Players will come. There is no way to stop them as they are already lined up at the starting gates! Now I'm all for the poker players getting what they want and need. But the rest of us have wants and needs to and we want and need to play slots and bingo and other games of "chance" which we are not allowed to participate in at this time. I'm wondering if they will limit US players to US online casinos when they finally get this thing going. I for one would be happy to be limited even to online casinos from my state as long as there were some out there! I'm more than willing to support the Indian tribes in their search for online gambling success. Hurry up is what I've got to say! Let's get this party started.

Join instantly with your social account or register with your email address

You agree, through your use of this forum, that you will not post any material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, adult material, or otherwise in violation of any International or United States Federal law. You also agree not to post any copyrighted material unless you own the copyright or you have written consent from the owner of the copyrighted material. Spam, flooding, advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and solicitations are also forbidden on this forum.

Note that it is impossible for the staff or the owners of this forum to confirm the validity of posts. Please remember that we do not actively monitor the posted messages, and as such, are not responsible for the content contained within. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented. The posted messages express the views of the author, and not necessarily the views of this forum, its staff, its subsidiaries, or this forum's owner. Anyone who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to notify an administrator or moderator of this forum immediately. The staff and the owner of this forum reserve the right to remove objectionable content, within a reasonable time frame, if they determine that removal is necessary. This is a manual process, however, please realize that they may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately. This policy applies to member profile information as well.

You remain solely responsible for the content of your posted messages. Furthermore, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the owners of this forum, any related websites to this forum, its staff, and its subsidiaries. The owners of this forum also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or any other related information collected on this service) in the event of a formal complaint or legal action arising from any situation caused by your use of this forum.

You have the ability, as you register, to choose your username. We advise that you keep the name appropriate. With this user account you are about to register, you agree to never give your password out to another person except an administrator, for your protection and for validity reasons. You also agree to NEVER use another person's account for any reason. We also HIGHLY recommend you use a complex and unique password for your account, to prevent account theft.

After you register and login to this forum, you will be able to fill out a detailed profile. It is your responsibility to present clean and accurate information. Any information the forum owner or staff determines to be inaccurate or vulgar in nature will be removed, with or without prior notice. Appropriate sanctions may be applicable.

Please note that with each post, your IP address is recorded, in the event that you need to be banned from this forum or your ISP contacted. This will only happen in the event of a major violation of this agreement.

Also note that the software places a cookie, a text file containing bits of information (such as your username and password), in your browser's cache. This is ONLY used to keep you logged in/out. The software does not collect or send any other form of information to your computer.